How much does a painter cost in Guatemala? Nobody publishes a painting labour rate: not a trade body, not an official agency, not the store chains that sell installation services. Each painter quotes the job. What does have a public price is the paint, and for pay there is a figure for the neighbouring trade. This guide puts those prices together, read on 8 October 2026, and tells you what to ask for in writing so you can compare quotes.
Quick summary: None of the sources we checked (Cemaco, EPA, Computrabajo) publishes a labour rate per m². At EPA, Dura latex paint costs Q72.50 a gallon and Q285 for a 5-gallon bucket; at Cemaco, Colonial Style white matte costs Q250 a gallon and Q1,190 a bucket. Computrabajo has no salary data for painters; the mason averages Q3,890 a month. Get the labour quote in writing, separate from materials.
Correction (8 October 2026): this page gave labour ranges (Q8-18 per m², interior Q8-15, exterior Q12-18, ceilings Q10-16, sealer +Q3-6), a mason day rate of Q150-250, a 30-100% foreigner mark-up and a 30-70% spread between quotes. None of those figures had a published source and they have been withdrawn. See our corrections policy.
What has no published rate: the labour
- No fee schedule. We found no painters’ trade body or official agency that publishes a price per m² or per day.
- Stores do not sell the service. Cemaco sells installation of water heaters, light fixtures and ceiling fans as products in its online catalogue, but a search for a painting service on 8 October 2026 returned none.
- No salary sample. Computrabajo Guatemala shows no salaries for the painter job title, nor for site painter, house painter or brocha gorda painter: it says there is not enough data.
So this guide gives no price per m². What follows are the prices that are published.
What paint costs (store prices)
Paint is the part of the budget you can check yourself. These are online catalogue prices; they change, and some were sale prices that day.
| Product (EPA) | Price |
|---|---|
| Dura latex paint, 1 gallon (several colours) | Q72.50 |
| Dura latex paint, 5 gallons | Q285 |
| Total white matte latex, 1 gallon | Q119 |
| Total white matte latex, 5 gallons | Q389 (was Q499) |
| Cromatic white matte latex, 1 gallon (Corona) | Q199 (was Q255) |
| Cromatic white matte latex, 5 gallons (Corona) | Q859 (was Q1,150) |
| Suprema white matte latex, 5 gallons (Corona) | Q719 (was Q979) |
| Crown white matte latex, 5 gallons (Corona) | Q1,450 (was Q1,850) |
| Trimetal white gloss anti-corrosion paint, 1 gallon | Q285 |
Source: EPA online catalogue (gt.epaenlinea.com), read on 8 October 2026.
| Product (Cemaco) | Price |
|---|---|
| Colonial Style white matte latex, 1 gallon | Q250 |
| Colonial Style white matte latex, bucket | Q1,190 |
| Sherwin Williams Colorámica white matte latex, bucket | Q399 |
| Sherwin Williams Peninsular white matte latex, bucket | Q930 |
| Excello acrylic latex semi-gloss white, 1 gallon | Q380 |
| Sherwin Williams Excello Clima Extremo white matte latex, bucket | Q1,895 |
Source: Cemaco online catalogue (cemaco.com), read on 8 October 2026. For these products, Cemaco does not state in the name how many gallons the bucket holds.
How to use these tables: ask the painter to state in writing how many gallons the job needs and which paint line. Then you can multiply it out yourself and see whether the materials line in the quote matches the store price.
Pay benchmarks
If your question is what a painter earns rather than what one charges per job, these are the only published figures we found:
| Benchmark | Monthly | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Painter (Computrabajo) | No published data | Not enough data |
| Mason (albañil), neighbouring trade (Computrabajo) | Average Q3,890; values from Q2,500 to Q5,500 | 86 salaries |
| 2026 non-agricultural minimum wage, Guatemala Department | Q4,002.28 + Q250 bonificación incentivo | Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025 |
| 2026 non-agricultural minimum wage, rest of the country | Q3,816.90 + Q250 bonificación incentivo | Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025 |
Source: Computrabajo Guatemala (gt.computrabajo.com/salarios, data updated 7 October 2026) and Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025 as reported by the Diario de Centro América and EY Guatemala, read on 8 October 2026. Full table on our minimum wage page.
The mason figure is for salaried employees. A painter who works per job draws no fixed salary, so income depends on how many jobs come in; there is no published figure for that.
How to get a quote you can compare
- Define the scope: one room, several rooms or the whole house; interior only or the facade too.
- Have them measure on site before pricing a whole house.
- Get the quote in writing with the area, the number of coats, whether patching, sanding and sealer are included, floor and furniture protection and final clean-up.
- Separate labour and materials. Then you can check the materials line against the store prices above.
- Agree who buys the paint and how many gallons are expected.
- Get two or three quotes on the same written scope.
- Pay by progress, not everything up front, and write down when each part is paid.
Red Flags
- Quotes a whole house without seeing it. Without measuring, the price is a guess.
- Does not say how many coats the price includes.
- Asks for 100% up front.
- Will not separate labour and materials in the quote.
- Does not protect floors and furniture before starting.
Sources
- EPA — online catalogue, paint by the gallon, prices read on 8 October 2026
- Cemaco — online catalogue (paint and installation services), read on 8 October 2026
- Computrabajo Guatemala — mason Q3,890 a month across 86 salaries; painter job titles have no data (updated 7 October 2026, read 8 October 2026)
- Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025 — 2026 minimum wage, as reported by the Diario de Centro América; Q250 bonificación incentivo per EY Guatemala’s summary
Related Guides
- Service Prices Hub — every service
- Mason (Albañil) Costs — plaster, block, flooring, repairs
- Electrician Costs — wiring and installations
- Plumber Costs — pipe, leaks, water installations
- Pest Control Costs — what to do before or after repainting
- Architect Fees — plans and design
- Construction Cost Calculator — for whole-build budgeting
- Cost of Living in Guatemala — the full monthly picture
Paint prices read in the EPA and Cemaco online catalogues on 8 October 2026; Computrabajo pay data updated 7 October 2026. Store prices change; check in store before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a painter charge per square meter in Guatemala?
There is no published rate. No trade body or official agency publishes a painting labour price per m², and Cemaco, which does sell installation services in its online catalogue, offers no painting service (search on 8 October 2026). Each painter quotes the job: ask for the price in writing, with the area, the number of coats and whether patching and sealer are included.
How much does paint cost in Guatemala?
In EPA’s online catalogue on 8 October 2026, Dura latex paint cost Q72.50 a gallon and Q285 for a 5-gallon bucket; Total white matte latex Q119 a gallon and Q389 for 5 gallons (was Q499); Corona Cromatic Q199 a gallon and Q859 for 5 gallons. At Cemaco, Colonial Style white matte cost Q250 a gallon and Q1,190 a bucket.
How much does a painter earn per month in Guatemala?
There is no published figure. Computrabajo Guatemala shows no salary data for the painter job title (it says there is not enough data; page updated 7 October 2026). The neighbouring trade with data is the mason (albañil): average pay of Q3,890 a month across 86 salaries, with values from Q2,500 to Q5,500. As the legal floor, the 2026 non-agricultural minimum wage is Q4,002.28 a month in Guatemala Department and Q3,816.90 elsewhere, plus the Q250 bonificación incentivo.
How much does it cost to paint a whole house in Guatemala?
There is no published per-house price. The total depends on the wall area, whether the facade is included, the state of the walls, the number of coats and the paint you choose. You can work out the paint cost yourself from the store prices in this guide; the labour has to be quoted by the painter after measuring on site.
Who buys the paint, me or the painter?
It is agreed with each painter. Ask for a quote that separates labour from materials and states in writing how many gallons the painter expects to use, so you can compare the materials line with store prices.
